Illustration of rail
1
a
: a bar extending from one post or support to another and serving as a guard or barrier
b
: a structural member or support
2
a
b
: a light structure serving as a guard at the outer edge of a ship's deck
c
: a fence bounding a racetrack
plural rail or rails
: any of numerous wading birds (family Rallidae, the rail family) that are of small or medium size and have short rounded wings, a short tail, and usually very long toes which enable them to run on the soft mud of marshes
railed; railing; rails
: to revile or scold in harsh, insolent, or abusive language
railer
noun
Examples of rail in a Sentence
Noun (1)
the stairs are icy, so hold onto the rail
an abandoned stretch of rail that was overgrown with brush
Verb (2)
we could hear the cook in the kitchen railing against his assistant and wondered if we'd ever get our food
Recent Examples on the Web
Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
Marchenko, a resident of the southwest Siberian city of Kemerovo and a former accountant for the Russian state road and rail service, had flown into the country on July 15 to celebrate her daughter’s birthday and spend time with her family living in Sheepshead Bay.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2025
Phil Hay, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
But Trump has long railed against mail-in voting as vulnerable to fraud – despite election experts, including those in his first administration, who said mail-in voting is secure.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rail
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Expect more fintechs to pursue multi-jurisdiction footprints that pair instant rails with direct or quasi-direct settlement access.
—Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
Marchenko, a resident of the southwest Siberian city of Kemerovo and a former accountant for the Russian state road and rail service, had flown into the country on July 15 to celebrate her daughter’s birthday and spend time with her family living in Sheepshead Bay.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2025
Verb
With good reason, Liverpool have long railed against tasteless chants about the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, which cost the lives of 97 of their fans.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
But Trump has long railed against mail-in voting as vulnerable to fraud – despite election experts, including those in his first administration, who said mail-in voting is secure.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rail
Cite this Entry
“Rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rail. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rail
1 of 4 noun1
a
: a bar extending from one support to another and serving as a guard or barrier
b
2
a
: a bar of steel forming a track for wheeled vehicles
b
: railroad
rail
2 of 4 verb
: to provide with a railing
rail
3 of 4 noun
plural rails or rail
: any of various small wading birds related to the cranes
rail
4 of 4 verb
: to scold or complain in harsh or bitter language
railer
noun
Etymology
Noun
Middle English raile "bar, rail," from early French raille, reille "bar, ruler," from Latin regula "straightedge, ruler," from regere "to lead straight, govern, rule" — related to regent, regulate, rule
Noun
Middle English raile "rail (the bird)," from early French raalie (same meaning)
Verb
Middle English railen "to scold, be abusive to," from early French railler "to mock," probably derived from Latin ragere "to neigh"
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